INA219 Module

Overview

The INA219 is a digital current sensor breakout board that measures both high-side voltage and DC current draw over I2C. It is widely popular in the maker community for monitoring power usage in battery-powered projects and solar energy systems with an accuracy of approximately 1%.

Key Features

• Simplified Power Monitoring: Measures bus voltages from $0V$ to $26V$ and handles up to $\pm 3.2A$ with the standard $0.1\Omega$ shunt resistor.

• I2C Interface: Communicates easily with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and ESP32. It supports up to 4 programmable addresses by bridging the address pins.

• Calculated Data: Beyond raw voltage, the INA219 can internally calculate current and power ($P = V \times I$), reducing the processing load on your MCU.

• High-Side Sensing: Unlike many cheap current sensors, the INA219 senses on the "high side" (between the power supply and the load), which doesn't disturb the ground path.

Applications

• Solar panel output monitoring

• Battery life estimation and testing

• Over-current protection in DIY electronics

• Real-time power logging for IoT devices